A Magical Tale of Love
by cdgal
Summary: This is a story about a girl who is out to search for the truth to her parents' death. Instead of finding a new lead, she and her new friends become the targets of the killing game after their first performance at the Black Moon. There's no pairing yet.


Disclaimer: SM is never mine.

--Prologue--

Two bodies lay side-by-side inside the house. Kenji Tsukino, a famous magician, was shot dead on the spot and was no more. His wife, Irene, was getting closer to death each time she coughed, this bringing up more blood. She died later in their bedroom, having received a gunshot wound to her stomach.

An hour earlier, the Tsukinos, having just finished their dinner, were engaging in their usual pre-Christmas activities. The man of the house, helping his wife decorating the Christmas tree, while the daughter had yet to awaken from her evening nap. They had scheduled a surprise for their child, whom they loved so much, with plenty of Christmas gifts. Kenji could foresee how excited she would be when her little hands clumsily tore up the gift paper and how she would shout with triumphant glee at the sight of the prizes in front of her.

Tomorrow was Christmas Day, as well as the couple's twenty-third wedding anniversary. Sadly, neither of them realized that this, the very night before before Jesus Christ was born, would be their last.

'Tonight would be a splendid night; and tomorrow, would be a heavenly day.' This was the thought the head of the family had entertained ten minutes earlier. He also thought of several things, such as teaching her baby girl some magic tricks he had yet to perform publicly. He was a magician known world wide, who was highly respected by many people. He met his future wife, Irene, who was destined to become his assistant during his performances in the early stages of their relationship. On Kenji's part, it was love at first sight, but not so for Irene. In the years that followed, she had realized her feelings for one of the greatest magicians ever. For ten of those years, they were happily married. It was twelve months later when she fell pregnant with his child, who they named after Irene's late mother, Serenity.

Precisely three minutes earlier, there had been a knock at the door of the Tsukino's residence. Soon after, the melodious celebration had turned into a demonic calamity. Oblivious to the tragedy that was soon to materialize, Kenji went to answer the door. That was when all hell broke loose: as three masked gunmen pushed him inside the house. Irene, who was upstairs, lifted her daughter into her arms, the little girl was sound asleep, when she heard the shouts, followed by a gunshot. Realizing their lives were in danger, Irene took a brief moment to calm and quiet the frightened child before placing her under the bed where she hoped she would be safe.

"Honey, promise me whatever happens, don't come out from your hiding spot," Irene told her three-year-old baby.

"Mama?" she murmured. All that the child wanted to do was grasp her mother's hand, wanting her full attention.

"Just promise your mama, Sere." Her desperate plea would finally to get her little Serenity to agree, and the child nodded her compliance.

"That's my girl," Irene said, kissing the top of her daughter's head, with a ghostly smile. She didn't offer a hug to comfort Serenity, knowing this would be the last time she would ever see and touch her again. With much reluctance, she pulled herself up and kept her back to the door. Then she carried a pillow, covered with baby clothing, as she moved to the opened window. She hoped that she could deceive whoever wanted them dead that she was carrying a child, pretending to escape through the window.

"Bang!"

A small pool of crimson stained the carpet. Judging from the wound, Irene was shot in the back. Blood was continuing to drip onto the floor, an indication she was shot at close range. The killers assumed that Serenity had died instantly. Irene wasn't afraid of death, and she proved her point by forging a cry for the name of her child while crawling her way towards the pillow. She would do anything to distract the killers from looking for the sole survivor of the carnage. She had succeeded. The price, however, she paid was her own life. Another gunshot later, the brave heroine slumped to the floor, unmoving.

Now that their task was completed, the masked men ransacked the house before leaving.

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"Mama?" Serenity crawled out from her hiding spot before moving clumsily to her mother's side. She didn't care about the blood that stained her tiny hands and clothes. She only cared about her about her mother, her dying mother, left to bleed to death.

Irene, who regained consciousness at the child's distressed pleas, tried to comfort the crying child, but the severe pain of her gunshot wound wouldn't allow her to console the little girl. She had given up any attempt to talk, but the blood continued to trickle from her crimson lips. She lifted her trembling hand to the child's cheek to wipe away her tears. It only resulted in more tears overflowing from beneath her daughter's small lashes. Serenity's mother understood the condition she was in and that she didn't have much time left, and why she needed to comfort her child while she could. She needed to reassure her that she was safe now because the bad guys could no longer hurt her. However, with time running out as if at the speed of light, the mother could only mouth her last words, 'I love you' and 'We'll be watching over you always', before she, too, like her late husband, was no more.

It was half an hour later when the police arrived at the Tsukino residence. What the middle-aged police officer discovered wasn't at all what he expected. Stepping into the living room, there lay a dead man, who he had unmistakably identified as the famous magician, Kenji-san (1). The blood on the wall, floor and the couch, told the inspector that the murder victim was shot at point blank range.

After calling for backup, Officer Artemis advanced forward towards the stairs as he called out, "hello?"

He was ready for action in case there was an ambush. He hadn't lowered his guard despite the silence. He charged into each room, his gun pointing into the darkness, as cautious as he could be, until he came to a room that was left open. He discovered a woman and child after having found the deceased entertainer downstairs. He knelt to check for pulses, and to his relief, the youngest member of the family appeared to be unconscious only.

During their investigation, the police concluded that the murder of Kenji and Irene Tsukino was the work of a professional. Due to the insufficient evidence and the fact that the only witness, it turned out, had a memory loss during her hospital treatment; the case was now closed and classified as a cold case.

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It had been thirteen years since the case of the Tsukino's murder was closed. Officer Artemis was now settling down for retirement. He was unmarried, but he had a daughter. That daughter's name was Serena. Serena was your average girl, with blond hair and blue eyes. She had just celebrated her birthday the previous day, that being 30 June, together with her father and his colleagues. As far as she was concerned, he had been her adoptive father since she was three, but he never filed a paper to say she was legally his, and yet they were as close as any father was and daughter could be in a loving family.

Picking up an album from the shelf in his study, the fifty-eight year-old officer took this moment to look through every photo of the adolescent girl from the very beginning of the page. But when he flipped through the celebration of his adoptive daughter's birthday, his expression had changed from that of a troubled one to one of determination. He had been thinking about it since her last birthday. Artemis had been agonizing over when it would be the most appropriate time for her to learn the truth about her parents' deaths. He had confronted his comrades about his problem, but none could give him the right answer.

A week earlier, he had trouble deciding what to give Serena for her seventeenth birthday, despite that she wanted nothing from him. Seventeen was an important age, and the retired officer acknowledged it. With determination, Artemis snapped the album shut before rising from his armchair to place the album back on the shelf. His last thought before leaving the room was: 'It is time.'

----------

After more than half an hour searching, the white-haired officer finally found Serena in the back yard. The tips of her blond ringlets were stained with soil due to being on her knees. What she was doing there, he couldn't tell, neither did it matter to him.

"Rena," he said, gaining her attention. "Please come with me. I have to talk to you." She looked up at him, nodded, and then complied. She followed him back into the house and he didn't utter another word until he took a seat in the living room and waved her to a chair nearby.

"There's something I should have told you long ago," he started. "I'm not your father, at least not biologically. You are Serenity Tsukino, the only daughter of the belated Kenji and Irene." He paused. He had tried to stop the gruesome scene from thirteen years ago that had evaded his thoughts resurfacing; that was, until that moment. "They were brutally murdered. You were lucky enough to survive the massacre," he didn't give her a chance to interrupt before he continued what he had to say," We also believe that you have amnesia because you have witnessed the murder... And no, we don't know who did it." He replied as if he knew what the next question would be. "But one thing we're certain of is they apparently want you dead as well, and thereby you have to keep a low profile at all times."

"Daddy, I..." Stopping there, Serena didn't know what else to say. The revelation had been too much for her to think straight or react at the news she heard. All she knew about her parents was that they had been dead for a long time, and nothing else. When she finally got a chance to learn more about her parents, shock and anguish were the only things she could remember.

Covering her hands with his wrinkled ones, Artemis looked sternly into her eyes. "I want you to promise me that you will not tell a soul about your true identity unless they are trustworthy enough."

--End of Prologue--

Glossary:  
(1): one of the honorific expressions to address someone who is senior or out of respect. The others include -chan, and -kun.

[Final edit: 24 Oct 09]

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Cdgal: thanks for reading the first chapter of "The Magical Tale of Love", and yes, I know it's cheesy, but sorry guys, you just have to bear with it. =p

First, a big fat thanks to NekoLoki for his wonderful job at beta-ing. Thanks a bunch, Loki. =^.^= *hug*

Oh, look at the date, it's... more than a month old late. *sweat drop* I ask for all readers' forgiveness for the lateness as I don't know what else to say for this author note. *another sweat drop*

Anyways, I know I haven't been updated anything to for months, but fear not, I will return uploading the next chapter of Cinderella Style sometimes next week, and the first chapter of this fic when I have a certain part of the new chapter, which I unfortunately haven't started.

Again, sorry for my lateness. 


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